GE2011: What do Singaporeans want?
I know I don't have a lot of Singaporean friends on LJ - many have moved on to tumblr or dreamwidth or facebook. But it's because there are so few that I wanted a first opinion here before even contemplating posting anything to the wide and cruel world of facebook:
What DO Singaporeans want?
(aka not what you don't want)
Someone recently posted a link to an article about MM Lee's resignation from cabinet written by Temasek Review's Catherine Lim. While the article itself was, I felt, a fair assessment of the situation (coming from TR, this is surprising), many of the comments were not. Calling MM Lee various sorts of vulgarities, for one, was something I found unforgivable. Even though my parents often call me an ungrateful twerp, I think I'm a little more grateful than what some of these people have displayed. The eventual demise of a great man ought not dimish the greatness of what he had done.
There were many complaints about all the things that have gone wrong in Singapore over the past decade, complaints about things that people aren't happy about, like high ministerial salaries, the escape of Mas Selamat etc. All those things which compounded to give the result that was GE2011. The biggest gripe amongst everyone though, was that the government doesn't listen. I found this very reminiscent of how a petulant child (read: me when I'm at home) might whine that her parents never listen to her point of view.
But very few comments were about what people DO want.
We all know it's very easy to point out other people's errors, but I'm genuinely curious about what Singaporeans do want in this day and age, since they have clearly stated that PAP's governing style is what they don't want. I've gotten into multiple arguments with people, each side pointing out what's wrong with the other, but I've learned very little from these discourses because neither side brought up what they wanted to see in the future of our country.
As for me, I just want a country where the education system brings out every child's full potential, potential which he/she can then use to chart his/her own course in adulthood. Our system isn't quite there yet, but I believe it's moving in the right direction. Education gets lots of funding to do what it needs to so, and some day I hope to be able to help nudge it along.
Just as a personal project, I'd like to know what people want to see in the future of our country. It could be something as simple as wanting your old void deck shop back, as practical as affordable HDB flats, as idealistic as having a more caring soceity, or as bombastic as free speech and deregulation. There's no need to justify it with long prose, although you are free to do so.
The only rule - avoid talking about the "shouldn't" and the "didn't"; focus on the "should" and the "will".
P.S. This is a public post, so if you know anyone who might be willing to share, please feel free to link.
What DO Singaporeans want?
(aka not what you don't want)
Someone recently posted a link to an article about MM Lee's resignation from cabinet written by Temasek Review's Catherine Lim. While the article itself was, I felt, a fair assessment of the situation (coming from TR, this is surprising), many of the comments were not. Calling MM Lee various sorts of vulgarities, for one, was something I found unforgivable. Even though my parents often call me an ungrateful twerp, I think I'm a little more grateful than what some of these people have displayed. The eventual demise of a great man ought not dimish the greatness of what he had done.
There were many complaints about all the things that have gone wrong in Singapore over the past decade, complaints about things that people aren't happy about, like high ministerial salaries, the escape of Mas Selamat etc. All those things which compounded to give the result that was GE2011. The biggest gripe amongst everyone though, was that the government doesn't listen. I found this very reminiscent of how a petulant child (read: me when I'm at home) might whine that her parents never listen to her point of view.
But very few comments were about what people DO want.
We all know it's very easy to point out other people's errors, but I'm genuinely curious about what Singaporeans do want in this day and age, since they have clearly stated that PAP's governing style is what they don't want. I've gotten into multiple arguments with people, each side pointing out what's wrong with the other, but I've learned very little from these discourses because neither side brought up what they wanted to see in the future of our country.
As for me, I just want a country where the education system brings out every child's full potential, potential which he/she can then use to chart his/her own course in adulthood. Our system isn't quite there yet, but I believe it's moving in the right direction. Education gets lots of funding to do what it needs to so, and some day I hope to be able to help nudge it along.
Just as a personal project, I'd like to know what people want to see in the future of our country. It could be something as simple as wanting your old void deck shop back, as practical as affordable HDB flats, as idealistic as having a more caring soceity, or as bombastic as free speech and deregulation. There's no need to justify it with long prose, although you are free to do so.
The only rule - avoid talking about the "shouldn't" and the "didn't"; focus on the "should" and the "will".
P.S. This is a public post, so if you know anyone who might be willing to share, please feel free to link.